Monusco on the spot as FDLR deadline expires

[East African Eagle]

..kuna watu wameshabamizwa tayari.

..operation "kamilisha usalama II" inaendelea ikishirikisha FIB[jwtz], na FARDC.

..kuna magaidi wanalia na kusaga meno tayari.

Mkuu wanaolia saa hii ni FNL ambao ni waasi wa burundi sio FDLR angalia vizuri vyanzo vyako vya habari

 

[jMali]

Sasa mbona ghafla mumewageuzia FDLR kibao na kwa jinsi mlikua mnawakingia kifua, hehehe!! haya mabrigadia JWTZ kazi kwenu piga mbwa hawa majinosaida. CC: jMali JokaKuu

1. ninavyofahamu uamuzi wa kifuatacho bado unategemea kikao cha SADC ambacho to the best of my knowledge bado hakijakaa. sababu ya hilo gazeti the east african kuchagiza vita inajulikana
2. kama FIB itaongozwa na Tanzania hapo ndipo nyie watutsi wenye msimamo mkali mtakasirika kwani lengo la msingi ni disarmament (kupoka silaha) sio vita, hao FDLR walichofanya ni kuchelewa kutoa silaha zao tu sio kwamba wana malengo ya vita kama vile M23, ndio maana UN ilianza na M23 na hawa FDLR tunakwenda nao taratibu kwa vikao! Hakuna shaka watanyang'anywa silaha, halafu? Probably utarudi hapa JF kulalamika kwa nini JWTZ haijaua hata mhutu mmoja

cc: JokaKuu

 

[MK254]

1. ninavyofahamu uamuzi wa kifuatacho bado unategemea kikao cha SADC ambacho to the best of my knowledge bado hakijakaa. sababu ya hilo gazeti the east african kuchagiza vita inajulikana
2. kama FIB itaongozwa na Tanzania hapo ndipo nyie watutsi wenye msimamo mkali mtakasirika kwani lengo la msingi ni disarmament (kupoka silaha) sio vita, hao FDLR walichofanya ni kuchelewa kutoa silaha zao tu sio kwamba wana malengo ya vita kama vile M23, ndio maana UN ilianza na M23 na hawa FDLR tunakwenda nao taratibu kwa vikao! Hakuna shaka watanyang'anywa silaha, halafu? Probably utarudi hapa JF kulalamika kwa nini JWTZ haijaua hata mhutu mmoja

cc: JokaKuu

Cha msingi na mwisho wa siku waweke hizo silaha chini na waende wanakotaka, wakipewa hifadhi Tanzania kama wewe basi sawa, wale watarudi nyumbani kama wenzao pia sawa, ila wafahamu Congo haiwataki, wawe na silaha au la, wameagizwa watoke nje, kuna misitu Rwanda na Tanzania ambapo wanaweza jificha huko la sivyo ni kichapo.

Kwa unafiki mumeiburuza SADC, haya basi mabrigedia kaa tayari kuna watu wa kupigwa wakigoma kuweka silaha chini.
Wanaouliza eti wakiweka silaha chini halafu itakuaje, wanafaa kuangalia mfano wako, wewe ulikua mmoja wao na ulikaribishwa Tanzania, hivyo hata na wao wanaweza karibishwa pia.

 

[nyumba kubwa]

Cha msingi na mwisho wa siku waweke hizo silaha chini na waende wanakotaka, wakipewa hifadhi Tanzania kama wewe basi sawa, wale watarudi nyumbani kama wenzao pia sawa, ila wafahamu Congo haiwataki, wawe na silaha au la, wameagizwa watoke nje, kuna misitu Rwanda na Tanzania ambapo wanaweza jificha huko la sivyo ni kichapo.

Kwa unafiki mumeiburuza SADC, haya basi mabrigedia kaa tayari kuna watu wa kupigwa wakigoma kuweka silaha chini.
Wanaouliza eti wakiweka silaha chini halafu itakuaje, wanafaa kuangalia mfano wako, wewe ulikua mmoja wao na ulikaribishwa Tanzania, hivyo hata na wao wanaweza karibishwa pia.

Masikini Kenya...propaganda hamzijui...mmejaribu sana kuchokonoa Tz ili ionekane ya hovyo ...baada ya kuona mmeshindwa mmeamua bila aibu kuzuia magari ya Watanzania yasiingie Jomo Kenyatta...te te te...
Nimeamini usemi 'Kwenye vita hata mawe ugeuka silaha'

 

[nyumba kubwa]

Kenya prevents Tanzania motor vehicles from entering JKIA

BY CHARLES NGEREZA

5th January 2015

Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA)


Travellers have been frustrated by Kenya's barring of Tanzania-registered motor vehicles from entering the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) to drop and pick transit passengers to and from this country.

The drivers in their hundreds both from private and public vehicles, said the order was issued on December 22.

Since then, they further said, it has caused fear and uncertainty among tourists traveling to Tanzania via the JKIA.

Speaking to The Guardian near the entrance gate to the JKIA, drivers from various tourist companies said the action has embarrassed their guests most of whom belonged to different nationalities.

Ruben Kiondo, a driver working with Rainbow Shuttle Company, said he was surprised by the directive. He further said that it had been in place for a week now and annoyed Tanzania travelers, but the Tanzania government has been quiet about it.

"We demand an explanation from our government; it should tell us about the whole fracas which threatens our economy. The government should come out and tell us what is going on here," he said.

He noted that most tourists affected were worried about their security on exchanging from shuttle mini-buses to taxis at night. They were also not sure of the reliability of motor vehicles which might make them miss their flights that are strict on time, they said.

"We have been harassed very much by security officials at the JKIA as they ask where our clients come from. When they say they hail from Tanzania they are harassed and asked why they did not fly through the Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA)," Kiondo lamented.

Another driver, Assey Faustin, noted that there were times when security officials warned them that their vehicles would be stopped from entering Kenya.

"It's very frustrating to hear these threats while Kenyan vehicles go everywhere in Tanzania as they move from airports to small towns. Kenyans enjoy and do business without any problem," he asserted.

A businessman from Arusha, Patel Bhatia, who also arrived at the JKIA entrance gate on Friday to collect his guests from London, some of who were his relatives, said he was shocked to be barred from picking them.

"This act is barbaric, happening in a country which is civilized. My guests arrived by a Kenya Airways flight, but they stopped me from picking them. I don't understand this," Bhatia said.

Speaking about the issue, the Director of River Side Shuttle, Moses Kingori, said the action affected his business beyond expectations. His clients from Europe and America cancelled their safaris because of the uncertainty of travelling through Kenya, he explained.

Commenting on the matter, the Tanzania minister for East Africa Community Affairs, Samwel Sitta, blamed the act saying it was unfriendly and jeopardized the East African integration.

Said he: "I cannot directly blame the government of Kenya. I personally understand President Kenyatta's spirit towards the EA integration, but actions at the lower level undermine it. We are seeking for urgent and meaningful interventions against these unfriendly actions."

Efforts to get comments from JKIA authorities were futile after a police officer denied entry to a journalist from The Guardian on Saturday. He told the journalist to consult Kenya's higher authorities on the matter.



SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN

 

[murutongore]

1. ninavyofahamu uamuzi wa kifuatacho bado unategemea kikao cha SADC ambacho to the best of my knowledge bado hakijakaa. sababu ya hilo gazeti the east african kuchagiza vita inajulikana
2. kama FIB itaongozwa na Tanzania hapo ndipo nyie watutsi wenye msimamo mkali mtakasirika kwani lengo la msingi ni disarmament (kupoka silaha) sio vita, hao FDLR walichofanya ni kuchelewa kutoa silaha zao tu sio kwamba wana malengo ya vita kama vile M23, ndio maana UN ilianza na M23 na hawa FDLR tunakwenda nao taratibu kwa vikao! Hakuna shaka watanyang'anywa silaha, halafu? Probably utarudi hapa JF kulalamika kwa nini JWTZ haijaua hata mhutu mmoja

cc: JokaKuu

Wanyang'anywe silaha, wapigwe!....tomato...tometo. We don't care how its done. But it should be done. Period.

 

[simplemind]

Wanawatoa waende wapi? Rwanda? Rwanda haijaandaa mazingira ya kuwapokea na haitaki mazungumzo nao! Kinachotakiwa kumaliza tatizo ni mazungumzo na kagame ashinikizwe kuongea na FDLR wapate suluhisho.Wakongo wakiamua kupigana na FDLR watakuwa wanajiumiza wenyewe na wananchi wao ndani ya kongo.

Unless wamelenga kufanya genocide ya kuua hao FDLR wote ambalo sidhani kama FDRL watakubali wauawe wote na majeshi ya kongo.Watajiunga na mbali mbali vya wapiganaji waasi wa kongo na hivyo kufanya tatizo la kuleta amani kongo kuwa gumu zaidi.

Waletwe Tanzania tunawakumbatia sana tu.

 

[murutongore]

Cha msingi na mwisho wa siku waweke hizo silaha chini na waende wanakotaka, wakipewa hifadhi Tanzania kama wewe basi sawa, wale watarudi nyumbani kama wenzao pia sawa, ila wafahamu Congo haiwataki, wawe na silaha au la, wameagizwa watoke nje, kuna misitu Rwanda na Tanzania ambapo wanaweza jificha huko la sivyo ni kichapo.

Kwa unafiki mumeiburuza SADC, haya basi mabrigedia kaa tayari kuna watu wa kupigwa wakigoma kuweka silaha chini.
Wanaouliza eti wakiweka silaha chini halafu itakuaje, wanafaa kuangalia mfano wako, wewe ulikua mmoja wao na ulikaribishwa Tanzania, hivyo hata na wao wanaweza karibishwa pia.

Spot on bro.

 

[murutongore]

Waletwe Tanzania tunawakumbatia sana tu.

Hahahahaha!

 

[JokaKuu]

Sasa mbona ghafla mumewageuzia FDLR kibao na kwa jinsi mlikua mnawakingia kifua, hehehe!! haya mabrigadia JWTZ kazi kwenu piga mbwa hawa majinosaida. CC: jMali JokaKuu

..mapigano yote ni joint operation ya jeshi la DRC, na FIB ambayo inajumuisha Tz,SA,na Malawi.

..tatizo lililopo ni kwamba Rwanda na Uganda walijaribu kumpindua Kabila Snr na hiyo ikamlazimisha kutafuta msaada wa wapiganaji wa FDLR.

..Zaidi, Rwanda na Uganda zimekuwa zikiwasaidia magaidi wanaoishambulia serikali ya DRC. Hata hivi tunavyozungumza kuna makamanda wa m23 wenye tuhuma za war crimes and crimes against humanity ambao wamepewa hifadhi na Rwanda na Uganda.

..Kwa msingi huo utaona kwamba jeshi la DRC halina incentive yoyote ile ya kuyashughulikia makundi ya waasi toka Rwanda na Uganda.

..Pia usisahau kwamba Kagame ameshawahi kutishia kumuua Raisi Kikwete, na pia vyombo vya habari vinavyomuunga mkono Kagame vimekuwa vikieneza uzushi kwamba Mama Salma Kikwete ni Mhutu na binamu wa Raisi Habyarimana. Halafu uongeze na mauaji na mashambulizi dhidi ya wapinzani wa Kagame walioomba hifadhi Afrika Kusini.

..Mimi nadhani FRDL wasipokuwa pacified mtu kwanza kulaumi anatakiwa awe Kagame na serikali yake.

cc jMali, Talkandtalk

 

[mchambawima1]

..na mapigano yataongozwa na kikosi cha FIB chini ya uongozi wa Brig.Gen.Abdulrahman Kimweri wa JWTZ.

..wembe uliomnyoa m23/RDF ndiyo huohuo utaokawanyoa FDLR. MUNGU awalinde askari wa Tanzania, na washirika wao.

cc lawmaina78, jMali, mchambawima1, simplemind

Yani we ndio lofa kweli!!! umeniita kuniambia huu upuuzi? Watu tuko busy na kazi zetu sio kama nyie mnaoshinda mnachonga tu upuuzi! Waulize JWTZ imeingia DRC kwa kupitia wapi, tena tuliwapa njia huku tukijuwa mikakati ya msanii ila hatukujali kwani ya DRC hayatuhusu, msimamo wa huyo mkwele tunaujuwa nje ndani, tokea enzi za Buyoya, yani ni kama jMali vile, kama kweli UN inataka kuwatimua FDLR basi TZ, SA na DRC wawekwe chonjo lasivyo itakuwa ni viini macho tu.

 

[jMali]

Yani we ndio lofa kweli!!! umeniita kuniambia huu upuuzi? Watu tuko busy na kazi zetu sio kama nyie mnaoshinda mnachonga tu upuuzi! Waulize JWTZ imeingia DRC kwa kupitia wapi, tena tuliwapa njia huku tukijuwa mikakati ya msanii ila hatukujali kwani ya DRC hayatuhusu, msimamo wa huyo mkwele tunaujuwa nje ndani, tokea enzi za Buyoya, yani ni kama jMali vile, kama kweli UN inataka kuwatimua FDLR basi TZ, SA na DRC wawekwe chonjo lasivyo itakuwa ni viini macho tu.

"wakipigwa M23, vilio vinatokea Rwanda"-Bernard Membe.

 

[East African Eagle]

Waulize JWTZ imeingia DRC kwa kupitia wapi, tena tuliwapa njia huku tukijuwa mikakati ya msanii ila hatukujali kwani ya DRC.

Nakubali kabisa mliruhusu JWTZ ipitie Rwanda wakati wanaenda kuwapiga M23.Lakini wakati ule mlikuwa mkijiamini sana kuwa JWTZ watapata kipigo cha mbwa toka M23 Kutokana na uwongo mliokuwa mkipewa kupitia ofisi ya waziri mkuu mliyemtoa na kumfanya balozi Burundi baada ya kugundua kuwa intelligence ya Rwanda ilikuwa ikitoa taarifa za uwongo kuhusu siri za JWTZ na uwezo wake kijeshi n.k Hasira zenu mkazimalizia kwa waziri mkuu baada ya kipigo cha M23.

Hivi baada ya kuwapiga M23 kwa nini mlikataa askari wa JWTZ waliokuwa wamemaliza zamu yao wasipite tena Rwanda wakati wa kurudi Tanzania? Hebu nijibu

 

[Hute]

Mkuu, hizo propaganda zako na za followers wa kagame mi nakwambia zitaisha. Bila kuongea na kupata muafaka na DFRL, rwanda itakuwa ni nchi isiyokuwa na amani siku zote. Time will tell ambapo Tanzania itaitaji kwenda rwanda na kuleta amani ya uhakika. Nyie jiandaeni tu kama muna ubavu.

it will be very unfair kwa FDLR kurudi RWanda bila kuwepo kwa mpango maalumu unaosimamiwa na UN kuhakikisha kuwa kagame hawauwi wote. tatizo wakirudi wanaokotwa ziwa uruweru wanaelea wameuawa? hao jamaa wengine wamezaliwa msituni hawakuwepo kipindi cha genocide, hata Rwanda hawajawahi kufika wamezaliwa msituni, only a few leaders ndio walikimbia mapigano/vita au walishindwa ndio unaweza sema wan amakosa, wengine wote hawakujui Rwanda, wamezaliwa na wazazi waliokuwa wanapigana...hivyo unaweza kumhukumu mtoto wa genocidor kwa makosa ya baba yake/mama yake? mtoto ahukumiwe kwa makosa ya mzazi? this does not justify kwamba FDLR wote ni wauaji wa kimbari....kwasababu sio wote walishiriki.

jambo la ajabu ni kwamba, nashangaa kagame wnaaemwita shujaa, anawaogopa FDLR kama ukoma, hivi nchi kama Rwanda inaweza kuogopa wanamgambo wasiofika hata 3000? Rwanda ina jeshi la wanajeshi zaidi ya 20,000 lakini inawaogopa FDLR ambao hata hawana silaha nzuri kuizidi Rwanda....kitu unachojifunza hapa ni kwamba, kagame hawaogopi FDLR bali anaogopa wahusu walioko nchini Rwanda, kwamba wanaweza kujiunga na wenzao wanaotoka msituni siku wakitia timu kigali, alichokuwa anatakiwa kufanya ni kuweka usawa na aache kuwaua wahutu ndio ingekuwa salama yake....diplomacy ilikuwa njia moja nzuri sana ktk hili kitu ambacho kingeleta amani na mshikamano kwa makabila yote mawili kama ilivyokuwa Burundi tu, mbona walikuja hapa bongo wakapatana na wanaishi vizuri tu.....anachofanya kagame analimbikiza hasira na uchungu kwenye mioyo ya wahutu walio wengi, asijefikiri wahutu wa rwanda watakubali wahutu wenzao walioko msituni wauawe wote, kuna siku atakuja kukumbuka ushauri wa j.k kikwete na kuona ulikuwa bora kuliko.

 

[JustDoItNow]

Yani we ndio lofa kweli!!! umeniita kuniambia huu upuuzi? Watu tuko busy na kazi zetu sio kama nyie mnaoshinda mnachonga tu upuuzi! Waulize JWTZ imeingia DRC kwa kupitia wapi, tena tuliwapa njia huku tukijuwa mikakati ya msanii ila hatukujali kwani ya DRC hayatuhusu, msimamo wa huyo mkwele tunaujuwa nje ndani, tokea enzi za Buyoya, yani ni kama jMali vile, kama kweli UN inataka kuwatimua FDLR basi TZ, SA na DRC wawekwe chonjo lasivyo itakuwa ni viini macho tu.

Mzee wa sumu, we ni msanii tu. huko hapa hapa bongo. Unashabikia kwenye JF lakini hujui chochote.

 

[Allykitemba]

Nakubali kabisa mliruhusu JWTZ ipitie Rwanda wakati wanaenda kuwapiga M23.Lakini wakati ule mlikuwa mkijiamini sana kuwa JWTZ watapata kipigo cha mbwa toka M23 Kutokana na uwongo mliokuwa mkipewa kupitia ofisi ya waziri mkuu mliyemtoa na kumfanya balozi Burundi baada ya kugundua kuwa intelligence ya Rwanda ilikuwa ikitoa taarifa za uwongo kuhusu siri za JWTZ na uwezo wake kijeshi n.k Hasira zenu mkazimalizia kwa waziri mkuu baada ya kipigo cha M23.

Hivi baada ya kuwapiga M23 kwa nini mlikataa askari wa JWTZ waliokuwa wamemaliza zamu yao wasipite tena Rwanda wakati wa kurudi Tanzania? Hebu nijibu

kumbe Watutsi waliwazuia makamanda jwtz wetu wasipte kwenye nch yao?

 

[East African Eagle]

kumbe Watutsi waliwazuia makamanda jwtz wetu wasipte kwenye nch yao?

Ndio waliwazuia mkuu

 

[anjo]

UN Military Action in DRC 'Inevitable'

January 13, 2015 7:21 AM
Anita Powell
FILE - Congolese M23 rebel fighters detain a man they suspect to be an FDLR (Force Democratique de Liberation du Rwanda) rebel returning from an incursion into Rwanda Near Kibumba, north of Goma, Nov. 27, 2012.
FILE - Congolese M23 rebel fighters detain a man they suspect to be an FDLR (Force Democratique de Liberation du Rwanda) rebel returning from an incursion into Rwanda Near Kibumba, north of Goma, Nov. 27, 2012.

South Africa says military intervention by its contingent of United Nations peacekeepers is now “inevitable” after Rwanda-backed rebels in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) did not comply with a January 2 deadline to disarm.

In a terse statement released this week, South Africa’s foreign ministry said it had no remaining options against the Forces Démocratiques pour la Libération du Rwanda (FDLR), a Rwanda-backed militia that has sown havoc in the mineral-rich eastern region of the DRC.

“South Africa reiterates that the FDLR has failed to comply with the 2 January 2015 deadline set by the Heads of State and Government of Southern African Development Community and the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region for the FDLR to disarm voluntarily or face military action, and has therefore rendered military option inevitable,” the statement read.

Lengthy unrest in DRC continues

It’s the latest salvo in a seemingly unending conflict that has killed untold numbers of people and seen countless egregious human rights violations by armed groups on all sides.

Eastern DRC has been mired in bloody guerrilla-style combat since 1994, when Rwanda’s genocide spilled over the border. Key members of the FDLR leadership have connections to the genocide in Rwanda.

Armed groups have resisted disarmament efforts

So far, voluntary disarmament of the various armed groups in the area has had miserable results, provoking top U.N. officials to declare in a statement that: “The FDLR has used this six-month grace period to continue to commit human rights abuses against innocent people in Eastern DRC, recruit combatants, and champion its illegitimate political agenda.”

The only tactic that seems to have worked so far is brute force -- seen in 2013 when DRC's army, backed by U.N. forces, routed the dangerous M23 rebel group after it exhausted numerous opportunities for a political solution.

The UN peacekeeping mission in Congo is one of the world’s largest and costliest, with an annual budget of just under $1.4 billion and 22,000 uniformed staff from Malawi, South Africa and Tanzania.

Strong hints of immiment military action

When asked about potential battle plans, Farhan Haq, a deputy spokesman for the secretary-general, told reporters at U.N headquarters that the peacekeeping mission would not release plans ahead of a strike.

“It’s not something we’d announce in advance of the actual operation,” he said.

On Tuesday, Angolan officials announced that they would cancel a summit scheduled for later this week on the topic (Jan 15-16), a move that some analysts say could pave the path for military action.

Angola’s Minister of International Affairs, Joaquim do Espirito Santo, seemed to confirm that in a statement about the cancellation, saying” "The summit will not be held because the decision to take military action against the FDLR has already been made and all that remains now is to implement it.”

Analyst Stephanie Wolters of the Pretoria, South Africa-based Institute of Security Studies, noted that the deadline has already been extended once, and that it is time to act.

“Simply extending the disarmament deadline again will only prolong the agony and discredit the organization,” she said in an analysis of the situation on the think tank’s site.

And so it seems that battle lines are being drawn.

Late last week, the head of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Martin Kobler, sent out an upbeat message to peacekeepers -- which could also be read as a warning to FDLR rebels.

“I am confident,” he said, “about the engagement of the troops in the upcoming operations against the FDLR.”

 

[murutongore]

UN Military Action in DRC 'Inevitable'

January 13, 2015 7:21 AM
Anita Powell
FILE - Congolese M23 rebel fighters detain a man they suspect to be an FDLR (Force Democratique de Liberation du Rwanda) rebel returning from an incursion into Rwanda Near Kibumba, north of Goma, Nov. 27, 2012.
FILE - Congolese M23 rebel fighters detain a man they suspect to be an FDLR (Force Democratique de Liberation du Rwanda) rebel returning from an incursion into Rwanda Near Kibumba, north of Goma, Nov. 27, 2012.

South Africa says military intervention by its contingent of United Nations peacekeepers is now "inevitable" after Rwanda-backed rebels in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) did not comply with a January 2 deadline to disarm.

In a terse statement released this week, South Africa's foreign ministry said it had no remaining options against the Forces Démocratiques pour la Libération du Rwanda (FDLR), a Rwanda-backed militia that has sown havoc in the mineral-rich eastern region of the DRC.

"South Africa reiterates that the FDLR has failed to comply with the 2 January 2015 deadline set by the Heads of State and Government of Southern African Development Community and the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region for the FDLR to disarm voluntarily or face military action, and has therefore rendered military option inevitable," the statement read.

Lengthy unrest in DRC continues

It's the latest salvo in a seemingly unending conflict that has killed untold numbers of people and seen countless egregious human rights violations by armed groups on all sides.

Eastern DRC has been mired in bloody guerrilla-style combat since 1994, when Rwanda's genocide spilled over the border. Key members of the FDLR leadership have connections to the genocide in Rwanda.

Armed groups have resisted disarmament efforts

So far, voluntary disarmament of the various armed groups in the area has had miserable results, provoking top U.N. officials to declare in a statement that: "The FDLR has used this six-month grace period to continue to commit human rights abuses against innocent people in Eastern DRC, recruit combatants, and champion its illegitimate political agenda."

The only tactic that seems to have worked so far is brute force -- seen in 2013 when DRC's army, backed by U.N. forces, routed the dangerous M23 rebel group after it exhausted numerous opportunities for a political solution.

The UN peacekeeping mission in Congo is one of the world's largest and costliest, with an annual budget of just under $1.4 billion and 22,000 uniformed staff from Malawi, South Africa and Tanzania.

Strong hints of immiment military action

When asked about potential battle plans, Farhan Haq, a deputy spokesman for the secretary-general, told reporters at U.N headquarters that the peacekeeping mission would not release plans ahead of a strike.

"It's not something we'd announce in advance of the actual operation," he said.

On Tuesday, Angolan officials announced that they would cancel a summit scheduled for later this week on the topic (Jan 15-16), a move that some analysts say could pave the path for military action.

Angola's Minister of International Affairs, Joaquim do Espirito Santo, seemed to confirm that in a statement about the cancellation, saying" "The summit will not be held because the decision to take military action against the FDLR has already been made and all that remains now is to implement it."

Analyst Stephanie Wolters of the Pretoria, South Africa-based Institute of Security Studies, noted that the deadline has already been extended once, and that it is time to act.

"Simply extending the disarmament deadline again will only prolong the agony and discredit the organization," she said in an analysis of the situation on the think tank's site.

And so it seems that battle lines are being drawn.

Late last week, the head of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Martin Kobler, sent out an upbeat message to peacekeepers -- which could also be read as a warning to FDLR rebels.

"I am confident," he said, "about the engagement of the troops in the upcoming operations against the FDLR."

to quote your crying PM... "wapigwe tu"

 

[simplemind]

FDLR - All Eyes On MONUSCO, DR
Congo As Angola Summit Is Called
Off
15 January 2015 , Source: New Times
A regional summit that had been
expected to take place in the Angolan
capital Luanda this week to discuss the
next course of action against the FDLR
militia after the latter ignored a
disarmament ultimatum has been
called off, paving the way for military
action against the militia.
Angola, whose President Jose Eduardo
dos Santos, is the current chair of the
International Conference on the Great
Lakes Region (ICGLR), a regional
grouping composed of DR Congo and
neighbouring countries, last week
announced there was no need for yet
another summit on the FDLR issue
since regional leaders had long agreed
that in the event the militia failed to
meet the January 2 deadline, it would
be attacked and forcibly disarmed.
The deadline, set on July 2, 2014, is
the second to be missed by the militia
group within a year and a joint ICGLR-
Southern African Development
Community (SADC) summit had
resolved that military action would be
inevitable if FDLR failed to meet the
terms of the ultimatum which required
them to unconditionally and fully
disarm in six months.
Meanwhile, reports indicate that FDLR,
instead of surrendering, continued
recruitment and collaboration with the
Congolese Army throughout 2014, to-
date.
The two-day summit, which had been
expected to open today, had been
announced by South African President
Jacob Zuma in his capacity as chair of
SADC organ on politics, security and
defence, earlier this month.
However, the Angolan government
echoed Kigali's position, saying there
was nothing more to discuss about the
FDLR but rather it was now up to the
UN to swing into action, in reference to
the UN peacekeeping force in the
Congo (Monusco), which boasts a
special brigade mandated to carry out
offensives against negative forces in
the Congo.
"The summit will not be held because
the decision to take military action
against the FDLR has already been
made and all that remains now is to
implement it," Angolan Minister for
International Affairs Joaquim do Espirito
Santo told reporters in Luanda.
Speaking to The New Times, last week,
Foreign Affairs minister Louise
Mushikiwabo said she heard only learnt
about the summit in the media,
questioning its relevance.
"If concerned countries and Monusco
are not ready to take military action,
then at least they should not waste
scarce time and money in endless
meetings, repeating the same thing,"
she said.
Mushikiwabo reiterated Kigali's position
earlier this week. "It's time for military
action really; there is nothing else to
meet over at this point."
Later, it emerged that Angola had not
sent any invitation for the summit after
all.
Mushikiwabo hailed Luanda's decision
not to convene the meeting.
"Appreciating leadership of Angola on
security in Great Lakes! President Dos
Santos truly cares and understands the
value of regional stability," she tweeted
last weekend.
The UN Security Council, the US and
the UK are among the actors that this
month urged immediate and decisive
action against the militia, which is
composed of elements blamed for the
1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
Earlier on, Monusco head Kobler Martin
had indicated that the force would wait
for the resolution of the summit in
Angola, which has since been
cancelled.
In recent days, he has said Monusco
was ready to launch offensive against
the FDLR combatants, even as the UN
peacekeepers have instead been
attacking Burundi's FNL and Uganda's
ADF rebels - also holed up in eastern
DR Congo.
As it became clear that the Luanda
summit would not be taking place this
week, South African media reported
that about 1,000 troops from that
country serving under Monusco's Force
Intervention Brigade were on the verge
of taking on FDLR - who are said to
have ties with Rwandan dissidents
based in South Africa.
Tanzania, one of the three countries
whose troops constitute FIB but whose
government is believed to be
sympathetic toward the FDLR, has said
it was not opposed to the operations
against the militia. Yet there have also
been reports that Tanzanian troops
were unlikely to partake in the anti-
FDLR campaign.
The President of the Security Council, in
a statement, last week, urged DR
Congo President Joseph Kabila to
authorise joint operations by the
Congolese army and Monusco against
FDLR, a day after UN Secretary General
Ban Ki-moon called Kabila to press him
to actively cooperate in the impending
operations.
In a space of four days, UN troops
helped defeat Congo's M23 rebels in
2013 and it had been hoped that next
to be crushed was the FDLR whose
leaders are either standing trial in
Germany for presiding over a terrorist
organisation or are wanted for genocide
and crimes against humanity.